Modern foreign languages get a voice: the role of the journals

This chapter investigates the significance of specialized journals for the development of modern language teaching. It begins by explaining the development of language journals up to the point at which language teaching reform really took off with the emergence of the so-called Reform Movement in the 1880s. The principal journal for this movement was Phonetische studien [Phonetic Studies] founded in 1888 and renamed Die neueren Sprachen [Modern languages] in 1894. The style of the early issues of this journal allows modern readers an insight into the discourse practices of that community of language scholars and teachers, the opportunity to hear its characteristic ‘voice’ and recreate the means by which modern foreign language teaching became an independent discipline.

Circus Workshop in the chid Psychiatry

The following paper is about the possible psychological effects of social circus, and our experiences with teaching circus methods in children psychiatry. In the beginning the paper try to place social circus in a wider theoretical frame, and searches for the place of it among psychological methods and therapies. We look at the wider and the more specific psychological constructs, what can be effected by social circus, especially the factors which are damaged in children with psycological or psychiatrycal problems. We examine the different parts of circus, how they can help in different problems. The further aim is to research the effects of a continuous social circus group, and to find it’s own way among psychotherapies.

La enseñanza de las construcciones pasivas e impersonales con "se" en español como L2. ¿Cuántas distinciones son necesarias?

Este artículo sugiere un enfoque nuevo a la enseñanza de las dos estructuras gramaticales la pasiva refleja y el “se” impersonal para las clases universitarias de E/LE. Concretamente, se argumenta que las dos se deberían tratar como construcciones pasivas, basada en un análisis léxico-funcional de ellas que enfoca la lingüística contrastiva. Incluso para la instrucción de E/LE, se recomienda una aproximación contrastiva en la que se enfocan tanto la reflexión metalingüística como la competencia del estudiante en el L2. Específicamente, el uso de córpora lingüísticos en la clase forma una parte integral de la instrucción. El uso de un corpus estimula la curiosidad del estudiante, le expone a material de lengua auténtica, y promulga la reflexión inductiva independiente.

Collocations used in DELE B1 reading tests

This paper aims to investigate the use of collocations in DELE B1. We select the reading texts from DELE B1 (2010 to 2014) as research data. The investigation includes: First of all, we will study the theory of collocation and the classification as well as its application to the foreign language learning and teaching. Second, we will analyze the types of collocation annotated by Corpus Tool. Third, we tend to calculate the frequency use of each type of collocations written in Spanish reading texts. Next, we will discuss the interrelationship between collocations and text themes. Finally, we would like to compare the differences of results of collocation use between these two corpus tools: Corpus Tool and Corpus del Español in order to understand the native speakers’ preference of use collocations as well as to provide supplementay materials for teaching of Spanish reading. We hope that the expected results of our research will offer useful references for improving students' Spanish reading comprehension to pass DELE B1 examinations.

Grammar in dictionaries revisited: the case of verbs with se

This paper is a study about the way in which se structures are represented in 20 verb entries of nine dictionaries of Spanish language. There is a large number of these structures and they are problematic for native and non native speakers. Verbs of the analysis are middle-high frequency and, in the most part of the cases, very polysemous, and this allows to observe interconnections between the different se structures and the different meanings of each verb. Data of the lexicographic analysis are cross-checked with corpus analysis of the same units. As a result, it is observed that there is a large variety in the data which are offered in each dictionary and in the way they are offered, inter and intradictionary. The reasons range from the theoretical overall of each Project to practical performance. This leads to the conclusion that it is necessary to further progress in the dictionary model it is being handled, in order to offer lexico-grammatical phenomenon such as se verbs in an accurate, clear and exhaustive way.

Correlation between anxiety and academic self-concept in interpreter trainees

This paper focuses on two basic issues: the anxiety-generating nature of the interpreting task and the relevance of interpreter trainees’ academic self-concept. The first has already been acknowledged, although not extensively researched, in several papers, and the second has only been mentioned briefly in interpreting literature. This study seeks to examine the relationship between the anxiety and academic self-concept constructs among interpreter trainees. An adapted version of the Foreign Language Anxiety Scale (Horwitz et al., 1986), the Academic Autoconcept Scale (Schmidt, Messoulam & Molina, 2008) and a background information questionnaire were used to collect data. Students’ t-Test analysis results indicated that female students reported experiencing significantly higher levels of anxiety than male students. No significant gender difference in self-concept levels was found. Correlation analysis results suggested, on the one hand, that younger would-be interpreters suffered from higher anxiety levels and students with higher marks tended to have lower anxiety levels; and, on the other hand, that younger students had lower self-concept levels and higher-ability students held higher self-concept levels. In addition, the results revealed that students with higher anxiety levels tended to have lower self-concept levels. Based on these findings, recommendations for interpreting pedagogy are discussed.

Digging up the frequency of phrasal verbs in English for the Police: the case of "up"

The present study focuses on the frequency of phrasal verbs with the particle up in the context of crime and police investigative work. This research emerges from the need to enlarge McCarthy and O’Dell’s (2004) scope from purely criminal behavior to police investigative actions. To do so, we relied on a corpus of 504,124 running words made up of spoken dialogues extracted from the script of the American TV series Castle shown on ABC since 2009. Based on Rudzka-Ostyn’s (2003) cognitive motivations for the particle up, we have identified five different meaning extensions for our phrasal verbs. Drawing from these findings, we have designed pedagogical activities for those L2 learners that study English at the Police Academy.

Motivation and Vocabulary Breadth in CLIL and EFL Contexts. Different age, Same Time of Exposure

Numerous studies have found a positive connection between learners’ motivation towards foreign language and foreign language achievement. The present study examines the role of motivation in receptive vocabulary breadth (size) of two groups of Spanish learners of different ages, but all with 734 hours of instruction in English as a Foreign Language (EFL): a CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) group in primary education and a non-CLIL (or EFL) group in secondary education. Most students in both groups were found to be highly motivated. The primary CLIL group slightly overcame the secondary non-CLIL group with respect to the mean general motivation but this is a non-significant difference. The secondary group surpass significantly the primary group in receptive vocabulary size. No relationship between the receptive vocabulary knowledge and general motivation is found in the primary CLIL group. On the other hand, a positive significant connection, although a very small one, is identified for the secondary non-CLIL group. We will discuss on the type of test, the age of students and the type of instruction as variables that could be influencing the results.

Receptive Vocabulary of CLIL and Non-CLIL Primary and Secondary School Learners

CLIL instruction has been reported to be beneficial for foreign language vocabulary learning since CLIL students show higher vocabulary profiles than students of their same age in traditional EFL contexts. However, to our knowledge, the receptive vocabulary knowledge of CLIL and non-CLIL learners at the end of primary and secondary education has not been examined yet. Hence, this study aims at comparing the receptive vocabulary size 79 CLIL primary learners with the receptive vocabulary knowledge of 331 non-CLIL learners at the end of primary and secondary school. Sex-based differences were also analysed. The 2k Vocabulary Levels Test (VLT) was used for the purposes of the study. Results revealed that learners’ receptive vocabulary sizes lie within the most frequent 1000 words, non-CLIL secondary school students throw better results than primary students but the differences between the secondary group and the CLIL group are not statistically significant. As for sex-based differences, we found no significant differences among the groups. These findings led us to believe that the CLIL approach offers a benefit for vocabulary acquisition since CLIL learners have been exposed to the foreign language for a shorter period of time and the results are quite similar to their non-CLIL secondary school partners.

Comparison of Authentic and Simplified Texts : A case study of Wuthering Heights

The aim of this essay is to explore in what way Graded Readers are different from authentic texts against the background of English as a Second Language (ESL) and the use of authentic and simplified text in ESL teaching. The material used for this purpose is the authentic text of Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë and two upper-intermediate Graded Readers from two different publishers. The study uses the software readability-score and manual analysis to examine the texts with regards to lexical choice, language structure and story. The study showed that the Graded Readers are simplified in all aspects studied. Moreover, the Graded Readers differ from each other as well, most notably in the style of the text due to sentence structure and story simplification. This could imply that different authors of Graded Readers adopt different styles when simplifying text and that the grading levels are not comparable between different publishers.

¿Neurodidáctica aplicada? : Una investigación sobre las aplicaciones de la neurodidáctica en la enseñanza de español y en concreto en el libro de texto Caminando 3.

This thesis analyzes the teaching material Caminando 3 from a neurodidactic perspective. The discipline of neurodidactics is young and controversial and the aim of this investigation is to present an understanding of the use of practical applications of neurodidactics in written material of education in Spanish as a second language. The methods applied are a quantitative and objective analysis of measurable aspects in Caminando 3 and a qualitative, subjective analysis which is interpreting fundamental understandings of language learning which Caminando 3 reflects in its structure and content. The results show that there are several aspects in Caminando 3 which are supported by the evidences and advices of the neurodidactic theories and simultaneously there are details in exercises and parts of the layup containing a level of repetition and prediction which are directly harmful to the process of acquisition, according to neurodidactic theories. The conclusion is that a more dynamic teaching book can be produced with guidelines that can be created using these results. Further investigations will have to measure the knowledge and success of the pupils to decide whether neurodidactics is a successful complement to traditional didactics of second language learning.

Kultur ist mehr als Currywurst Ältere Literatur im Deutschunterricht : Eine Literaturstudie

With regards to the teaching of German in Sweden this literature study looks into the Swedish curriculum and the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) to compare today’s common interpretation of the goals in language learning to the educational goals in the documents. Critics mean that the CEFR and in extension the curricula in the associated countries focus mainly on measurable practical language skills. This leads to impoverishment of the concept of language learning, which should include broad cultural aspects, encourage the students to develop their personalities and curiosity and foster a livelong desire to study. This work will try to show that blaming the CEFR for the kind of lopsided development towards practical, measurable skills in language teaching does not origin in the document or in the national curriculum. It appears to be the interpretation of the documents that oversees some essential requirements, not only for successful language teaching but also for the use of German as a tool for conversation and understanding. The real understanding of a language is, according to the research referred to in this work, connected to the understanding of culture. This literature study will show that reading older literature in language classes will favour the students´ understanding of culture. Furthermore, this work will try to point out other educational benefits besides the gain of cultural knowledge in working with literature. Students learn to argue and gain understanding of their own world by comparing to the new reality they meet in the literature. In addition, students will, with the help of the text, acquire new vocabulary and get an understanding of the structure of the language. In essence the use of literature in teaching German on one hand meets and fulfils the requirements in the curriculum and on the other hand supports the development of language skills and personals skills.

Interação didática em língua estrangeira: contributos de um estudo baseado na dimensão sócio-afetiva da aprendizagem colaborativa

Pretendeu-se com este projecto de investigação estudar a interação didática co-construída por alunos do ensino superior em moldes de aprendizagem colaborativa na aula de Inglês língua estrangeira, com enfoque na dimensão sócio-afetiva da aprendizagem. Na base do quadro teórico encontra-se o pressuposto de que o conhecimento é algo dinâmico e construído colaborativamente, e que é na interação didática que emergem os comportamentos verbais reveladores do Saber―Ser/Estar/Aprender dos sujeitos, nomeadamente através da coconstrução e negociação de sentidos. Subjacente portanto ao estudo está a convicção de que “o trabalho crítico sobre a interação permite entender os modos relacionais entre os sujeitos pedagógicos, as relações interpessoais que se estabelecem e articular o desenvolvimento linguístico-comunicativo com o desenvolvimento pessoal e social dos alunos” (Araújo e Sá & Andrade, 2002, p. 82). Esta investigação centra-se exclusivamente nos aprendentes, na sequência de indicações provenientes da revisão de literatura, as quais apontam para uma lacuna nas investigações efetuadas até à data, referente ao número insuficiente de estudos dedicado à interação didática interpares, já que a grande maioria dos estudos se dirige para a relação professor-aluno (cf. Baker & Clark, 2010; Hellermann, 2008; O'Donnell & King, 2014). Por outro lado, o estado da arte relativo às investigações focalizadas na interacção entre aprendentes permite concluir que a melhor forma de exponenciar esta interação será através da aprendizagem colaborativa (cf. Johnson, Johnson, & Stanne, 2000; Slavin, 2014; Smith, Sheppard, Johnson, & Johnson, 2005). Circunscrevemos o nosso estudo à dimensão sócio-afetiva das estratégias de aprendizagem que ocorrem nessas interações, já que a revisão da literatura fez evidenciar a correlação positiva da aprendizagem colaborativa com as dimensões social e afetiva da interação (cf. Byun et al., 2012): por um lado, a dinâmica de grupo numa aula de língua estrangeira contribui grandemente para uma perceção afetiva favorável do processo de aprendizagem, incrementando igualmente a quantidade e a qualidade da interação (cf. Felder & Brent, 2007); por outro lado, a existência, na aprendizagem colaborativa, dos fenómenos de correção dos pares e de negociação de sentidos estimula a emergência da dimensão sócio-afetiva da aprendizagem de uma língua estrangeira (cf. Campbell & Kryszewska,1992; Hadfield, 1992; Macaro, 2005). É neste enquadramento teórico que se situam as nossas questões e objetivos de investigação. Em primeiro lugar procurámos saber como é que um grupo de aprendentes de Inglês língua estrangeira do ensino superior perceciona as estratégias de aprendizagem sócio-afetivas que utiliza em contexto de sala de aula, no âmbito da aprendizagem colaborativa e nãocolaborativa. Procurámos igualmente indagar quais as estratégias de aprendizagem sócio-afetivas passíveis de serem identificadas neste grupo de aprendentes, em situação de interação didática, em contexto de aprendizagem colaborativa. Finalmente, questionámo-nos sobre a relação entre a perceção que estes alunos possuem das estratégias de aprendizagem sócio-afetivas que empregam nas aulas de Inglês língua estrangeira e as estratégias sócio-afetivas identificadas em situação de interação didática, em contexto de aprendizagem colaborativa. No que respeita à componente empírica do nosso projecto, norteámo-nos pelo paradigma qualitativo, no contexto do qual efetuámos um estudo de caso, a partir de uma abordagem tendencialmente etnográfica, por tal nos parecer mais consentâneo, quer com a nossa problemática, quer com a natureza complexa dos processos interativos em sala de aula. A metodologia quantitativa está igualmente presente, pretendendo-se que tenha adicionado mais dimensionalidade à investigação, contribuindo para a triangulação dos resultados. A investigação, que se desenvolveu ao longo de 18 semanas, teve a sala de aula como local privilegiado para obter grande parte da informação. Os participantes do estudo de caso foram 24 alunos do primeiro ano de uma turma de Inglês Língua Estrangeira de um Instituto Politécnico, sendo a investigadora a docente da disciplina. A informação proveio primordialmente de um corpus de interações didáticas colaborativas audiogravadas e posteriormente transcritas, constituído por 8 sessões com uma duração aproximada de uma hora, e das respostas a um inquérito por questionário − construído a partir da taxonomia de Oxford (1990) − relativo à dimensão sócio-afetiva das estratégias de aprendizagem do Inglês língua estrangeira. O corpus gravado e transcrito foi analisado através da categorização por indicadores, com o objetivo de se detetarem as marcas sócio-afetivas das estratégias de aprendizagem mobilizadas pelos alunos. As respostas ao questionário foram tratadas quantitativamente numa primeira fase, e os resultados foram posteriormente triangulados com os provenientes da análise do corpus de interações. Este estudo permitiu: i) elencar as estratégias de aprendizagem que os aprendentes referem utilizar em situação de aprendizagem colaborativa e não colaborativa, ii) detetar quais destas estratégias são efetivamente utilizadas na aprendizagem colaborativa, iii) e concluir que existe, na maioria dos casos, um desfasamento entre o autoconceito do aluno relativamente ao seu perfil de aprendente de línguas estrangeiras, mais concretamente às dimensões afetiva e social das estratégias de aprendizagem que mobiliza, e a forma como este aprendente recorre a estas mesma estratégias na sala de aula. Concluímos igualmente que, em termos globais, existem diferenças, por vezes significativas, entre as representações que os sujeitos possuem da aprendizagem colaborativa e aquelas que detêm acerca da aprendizagem não colaborativa.

Loughborough College: Badges mean progress in English GCSE

GCSE English resit students at Loughborough College learn difficult vocabulary by testing themselves on their mobile devices with the language learning app, Memrise. Competing with each other to earn badges for each completed test motivates students to tackle less appealing aspects of the curriculum. This innovative assessment-for-learning approach helps staff track individual learners’ progress so they can provide more support to those who need it.

Compétences orales et nouvelles technologies dans un cours de français langue étrangère

The oral communication skills should gain ground in language learning through new technologies. In this study examines the role that blogs, podcasts, social networks and telecollaborative projets have played in the development of oral production skills, as well as in learning and correction in pronunciation. During the period 2005 to 2015 several experiments with social media were conducted for this purpose as part of a French language course at the university of León in Spain. We will approach the results from our research in relation to the tools (blogs, podcasts, networks) and to the correction techniques for analyzing and evaluating the usefulness of new technologies in this training device.